Lebanon Valley YMCA project moves along

From inside the new fitness center, users can look outside while they work out. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS EARL BRIGHTBILL)

It's been about a month since the Lebanon Valley Family YMCA opened its new wellness center.

And, for the most part, the center is receiving rave reviews, said YMCA CEO Phil Tipton.

"I think the members are really excited about the new equipment," he said. "They're just excited about the design of it, the way it's laid out, and they love to be able to look out, so the glass has really improved the morale."

The new center opened Dec. 17, after moving from its previous location near the back of the North Seventh Street facility.

The move was part of a $3 million project that includes converting the space that once housed the fitness center into a new youth center. Plans also call for expanding and renovating the building's lobby and Kids Corner.

Emily Ferguson and Jennifer Berger, both of Lebanon, watch TV while they work out at the Y s new fitness center. A new feature at the center is personal flat-screen TVs on many of the machines. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS EARL BRIGHTBILL)

Construction started in June and is anticipated to be finished by May.

Like any project of this magnitude, the move to the new fitness center did not happen without some snags. Tipton admitted that there were some things that needed tweaking.

"The good thing about it is our members are comfortable enough with telling us 'Could you move this here' or 'Could you do that for us' that kind of thing," he said. "There were some things that definitely we needed to tweak, and we continue to do so."

Despite the tweaks, Tipton said, the new fitness center has been well received.

But don't just take Tipton's word for it. On a recent day, Lebanon residents Jennifer Berger and Emily Ferguson both said they like the new center better than the one it replaced.

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"It was a nice change here with the new stuff coming in," said Berger, who has been a Y member for about 2 ½ years and has lost 50 pounds in that time "You have more space, more room, it has a better layout."

Ferguson, who has been a member for the better part of the last 10 years, also likes the new layout.

"It's open, it's bright," she said. "It was an easy transition, and I love it."

Berger and Ferguson both said they like the addition of personal flat-screen TVs that have been installed on many of the machines.

"Instead of having just four TVs, you can go to a machine and pick whatever you want to watch," Berger said.

"I like the addition of the new TVs because you can choose what channel you want to watch and not be forced into watching football," Ferguson added.

Ferguson and Berger also liked the idea of having the cardiovascular machines separated from the free weights - the free weights on the first floor and the cardio machines on the second floor.

"You got the cardio machines up here, you got the weights downstairs," Berger said. "You're not watching the guys getting all nuts with the weights. You're up here, and you're able to focus more on what you're doing."

"The clanging of the weights can be kind of annoying, I guess," Ferguson said.

The west wall of the new fitness center is all glass, allowing users to look outside while they work out. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS EARL BRIGHTBILL)

"For me, I like them being downstairs. It's not my thing."

'According to plan'

While the new fitness center is completed, work is in full swing on the rest of the project. Tipton said construction on the new youth center should be completed by mid February or early March.

The youth center will include a classroom, a computer lab, pool tables and pingpong tables. Initially, it will be open to students in seventh through 10th grades, but will eventually expand to 11th graders.

Use of the center will be free for kids.

"Parents need to sign off giving them permission to attend, then they'll get a youth center card, and they come and scan their card, and they can use it at no cost," Tipton said.

The youth center will be open from the time school is dismissed until 6 p.m., and it will be staffed full-time by a Y staff member. Community organizations will provide snacks and additional volunteers to staff the center, Tipton said.

"During the day it's going to be open, so if our members want to go up there and play pool or just lounge and watch TV, that's available for them," Tipton said. "In the evening, when the youth center closes at 6, then we'll offer programs up there as well. It's gonna be used, hopefully all day long."

The lobby area will be closed in about a week, and that will be under construction for several months, he said. A temporary entrance adjacent to the lobby will used while the lobby is under construction.

"All is going to go according to plan," Tipton said of the entire project. "We don't have a firm time, but we're shooting for May 1 that everything will be completed."

The final phase of the project will involve relocating the Y's administrative offices to the former Reading Railroad station, just behind the Y on North Eighth Street, which the Y bought in 2010. In addition, a full-time child-care center will be opened at the depot.

Beers and Hoffman Architects is the project's designer, and Arthur Funk and Sons is the primary contractor.